Iceland is known for its volcanic activity and many travellers make their way here in the hopes of seeing red lava flowing brightly down from mountains. While it is not always the case, there is a volcano here that is on the verge of bursting…
Hekla is the most renowned and powerful volcano in Iceland, and arguably the world. It is the volcano that produces the most volcanic material on the island. Hekla is a stratovolcano, which means it is a tall, conical volcano composed of one layer of hardened lava, tephra, and volcanic ash. The explosive eruptions result in lava that flows viciously, and cools and hardens before spreading very far. This particular volcano has produced one of the largest volumes of lava of any in the world in the last millennium, which was around 8 km3
Currently, Hekla’s magma chamber is almost full which means it is due to erupt! Hekla has erupted over 20 times in the last 2000 years, with its most recent eruption in the year 2000. It is being monitored closely right now, and there are even warning signs to not hike it at the moment in case of possible activity. When it erupted in 2000 it started only 79 minutes after the first warning quake. At Norðurflug we make special trips when this natural occurrence happens! As long as it is safe, we will take you straight to the action.
